On Tap Features

A Beer Champion Passes On

Beer Hunter Michael Jackson Dies at 65

20/09/2007

Michael Jackson, widely regarded as the world’s foremost beer aficionado and writer, died on August 30, 2007 in his London home. Long before most folks realized there was anything more than an ocean of bland lagers out there, Michael Jackson was scouring the world for interesting examples of the brewers art and chronicling his discoveries for others to enjoy. In addition to his essential beer books, he made a TV series in the mid-1990's called “The Beer Hunter”, in which he toured some of the world’s great breweries and gave viewers a real appreciation of beer in all it’s wondrous variety. And lest we forget…he was also produced several highly informative books cataloguing single malt Scotch whiskies.

I had the chance to meet Mr. Jackson on two occasions – once at Okanagan Spring in Vernon (proving that he was willing to go way out of his way in search of good beer), and once at a beer festival in Vancouver. Always very approachable and ready to share his enthusiasm and insights on beer, he will be greatly missed.

There is lots of additional memoriam information on the Beer Hunter website, including info on tribute toasts to be held in his honour on September 30.